Colombian singer Ryan Castro gets in his feels with his new joint single, “Apodo,” alongside Tejano band Grupo Frontera.
Released on Thursday, the collaboration yearns for unrequited love. The song boasts Grupo Frontera’s traditional norteño sound, with the addition of their signature bongo of course. But it also includes hints of Caribbean reggae — like double chop beats — an element from Castro’s musical background that he is all too familiar with, having spent his formative years in Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island, where part of his family still resides.
The new song release comes on the heels of another important announcement: Castro has announced dates for his upcoming Sendé World Tour, with stops in five major U.S. cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Miami and New York. The “Mujeriego” singer will perform in L.A.’s Woodley Park on Oct. 11.
Such large venues are a drastic change of scenery for the 31-year-old singer, who began his musical career busking in Medellín buses and streets, and was once dubbed “El Cantante Del Ghetto.”
In recent years, Castro has distinguished himself as a versatile and collaborative artist, joining in on popular songs like Karol G’s remix version of “Una Noche de Medellín” with Cris MJ, and the controversial track “+57,” which featured Colombian artists Feid, J Balvin and Maluma.
His recent cross-genre collab with Grupo Frontera shouldn’t come as a surprise. Two years ago, Castro paired up his deep voice with corrido tumbado star Peso Pluma in the reggaeton hit “Quema” featuring SOG, which landed him his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 92.
Earlier this summer, Castro released his most intimate project to date, “Sendé,” a riveting collection of 18 songs that blends his familiar reggaeton sound with old-school Caribbean reggae and dancehall beats.
From its first track, also titled “Sendé,” Castro sets the mood with a sticky intro by Jamaican toaster U-Roy from Dawn Penn’s “No, No, No.” Almost seamlessly, the song blends into its second track, “Rebecca,” which features the enticing Hindi vocals of Deevani from Tito El Bamino’s Flow Natural ft. Beenie Man.
Already a standout in this album is the hip-hop-inspired bop “Sanka,” featuring Curaçaoan rap artist Dongo, which infuses the familiar rhythms of Dr. Dre’s popular “What’s the Difference” (feat. Eminem & Xzibit).
Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper Caribbean album without a reference to dancehall music, mainly Shaggy’s famed “Boombastic,” refashioned with Castro’s own unique title, “Bombastik featuring Blaiz Fayah and Tribal Kush. The album also features a range of artists including former collaborator Peso Pluma, fellow parcero Manuel Turizo and the Jamaican legend himself, Shaggy.
For full Sendé World Tour dates and ticket information, visit SendeWorldTour.com.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
